Evil Shadow

Prologue

"Broken ribs, cracked skulls, broken arms, broken legs…"

With her gaze looking down at the floor in front of her, a young girl no older than 19 sat in her solemn looking cell with both her hands and feet cuffed. The walls were decorated with rust - not on purpose - and the floor was a dusty and dirty cement floor with no carpet or heating. In its later years, the Asylum, just like the city itself, had started to fall apart. Not the building's structure, you see, but the looks and the people working in it. On multiple occasions, dangerous patients had managed to escape thanks to corrupted employees. These employees often managed to hide themselves from the law very well, continuing to work as though they had done nothing. Though sometimes, these employees would be found or even run away themselves; ruining the life they had once had. Most of the time, though, these employees were brought back to the Asylum in straightjackets by the Dark Knight himself.

"Do you need me to continue?"

The young girl shook her head, a curl of her raven black hair falling in front of her face as she did. Her forehead and right cheek were covered in bloodstains just as her clothes and hands were. Her bare feet, which were cold and dirty thanks to the floor, were soaked in dried-up blood and she knew that it would be hard to wash it off. Though she didn't really care. It had been a joy to her to be able to kill again; a joy which had only been available thanks to a certain person's escape plan.

With a sigh, the psychiatrist pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slightly, "I thought we were making progress, Elaine. Why'd you do it?"

Slowly and menacingly, Elaine – the young girl – lifted her gaze up to the doctor, staring at him with a glare that would make anyone flinch back, which was exactly what the doctor did as well before composing himself again; after all, he should be used to this. This was his job.

"Fine," he said before standing up from the chair, "I'm keeping you cuffed until you've decided to cooperate again."

Elaine watched him leave her cell, a couple of guards locking the heavy, metal door behind him. The moment all footsteps were gone, Elaine sprung up from the chair before waddling, the best she could with her feet cuffed, towards the door. At eyelevel for a slightly taller man, there was a small frame with metal bars in the door through which the guards could look to check on the patients. On multiple occasions, these frames were something dangerous to the guards as many of them had lost an eye while checking on the more 'dangerous' patients. However, the guards had learned to keep a distance from the frames by now and those tricks could not be done anymore, to Elaine's dismay.

Standing up on the tip of her toes, she looked out through this very frame, seeing no guards nor hearing any indication of any. Suddenly, her heart filled with something strange and… warm. It had been a long time since it had been filled with this feeling – most likely not since she had been locked up, which was a while back. Though, she felt it now and she barely believed it. After all, she was waiting for the one person who was the most untrustworthy man in the whole of Gotham. The clown-prince of Gotham himself. A dangerous man who had actually despised her at first. However, after the various conversations and various promises and trials, she had had with the clown, he somehow trusted her and she somehow trusted him… At least, she trusted him to help her. She did not trust him to not kill her the moment they got out.

The riot she had started earlier had not been for nothing. She had known what she was doing and it was working – she knew it just by how quiet everything was outside of her locked door.

Hope was the feeling that was warming her chest. Hope for a bit of fresh air in her lungs and against her skin. The air in her cell smelled of mould and rust, a smell that Elaine never wanted to smell again. Even the thought of it made her shiver.

When the sound of someone whistling a happy tune could be heard, her heart began to beat quicker and she smiled widely, moving away from the door. The sound of the keys rattling as someone swung them around filled her ears and the inmates all started to protest as none of them were set free.

Her eyes widened as a pair of green eyes suddenly stared down at her from the frame and a smirk played on her lips as the keys were inserted into her cell door's lock. He twisted the keys as he finished whistling the tune, kicking the door open as quietly as he could.

"You wanna get out, darling?" he smirked with the same, familiar and raspy voice of the Joker as he stood in the doorway, a wide grin on his face.

Elaine rolled her eyes, walking up to him and sticking her hands out to him, showing to him the cuffs she had on. She watched him as he uncuffed her hands and feet, the raw skin feeling relieved after having been freed from those cuffs.

"Love what you've done with the outfit," said the Joker, letting out a cackle. "Almost looks like real blood!"

"Shut it," hissed Elaine, the calls from the other inmates starting to become louder and louder, meaning that the few guards left after the massacre would soon come to check on them. "You've not changed clothes yet."

"Well, no! There were guards placed in front of the room," he retorted, waving his hands about nonchalantly, as though he broke out of the Asylum every other day and was used to the stress. "They won't be a problem though. Soon, they'll be here."

Elaine smirked as she caught onto his plan, "They really should improve their night watch. At least then, it would be a challenge to get out."

Both she and the Joker placed themselves behind the opened door, shielding themselves from view of any guards that would want to approach the suddenly opened cell. As they did, Elaine rolled her eyes at the fact that there were only two guards; one for each of them to take out. With a single nod of the Joker's head, the both of them grabbed a guard each before, each in their own way, taking care of them. The Joker snapped the guard's neck with ease, grabbing his gun and smirking as the limp body fell down to the floor. Elaine wrapped one arm around the guard's neck before wrapping her legs around his arms, making sure that he wouldn't try to claw at her face or shoot that gun of his. As he started to faint from lack of oxygen, she landed on her back with him on her, though she barely even felt it. The sensation of the guard's life slipping away in her hands was too great for her to feel anything but adrenaline pumping through her veins; a feeling she adored and craved.

"You done? We need to leave," said the Joker, offering Elaine the other guard's weapon as she stood back up.

Elaine took a deep, shaky breath before following him towards where their gear would be stored. With a key-card the Joker had grabbed from one of the guards, their way to freedom was easy, though that was not their style.

They were finally going to get out, and Elaine could barely wait. Finally she would be able to continue her revenge against her sister. Finally, she would be able to kill her. All that stood in her way, was the Batman.

She was ready… This was the time…